His 16-6 record and 1.36 earned-run average for the Class A Osceola Astros last season earned him an invitation to the major-league camp in spring training, and Houston Manager Hal Lanier had to bite his lip to keep from taking him north to start the season.

Mallicoat, 21, with only two seasons of Class A behind him, was jumped all the way to Triple A at Tucson, Ariz., in the Pacific Coast League. Many people in the Astros organization, however, were surprised he was moved that high so quickly. The people at Columbus, Ga., in the Class AA Southern League thought they would get him.

Mallicoat lasted only 14 innings at Tucson with an 0-2 record and 6.43 ERA. He's at Columbus now but is 0-5 with a 6.80 ERA. No one can figure out what has happened to the prized prospect.

David Blalock, assistant general manager at Columbus, said, ''We were kind of surprised he didn't start the season here. But Rob still believes he should have made the big club.''

But in defense of Mallicoat, Blalock said, ''We really haven't been getting him many runs, and he's not throwing that badly. He handled coming down from Triple-A to Double-A pretty well, and he's throwing the ball a lot better right now.

''We haven't been giving him much support, but he's starting to get back into the groove.''

Fred Nelson, director of minor-league operations for the Astros, said, ''I think, basically, he just hasn't found his rhythm yet. His first couple of outings at Columbus were much the same as they were at Tucson, but his last four starts have been more solid, and he's starting to get untracked.''

Nelson said Mallicoat was placed in Triple-A to start the season because he had such a good spring. ''But we decided to send him down to Columbus so he could pitch without the pressures of Triple-A ball. I think the main things wrong this year have been that he's pitching in a higher classification, and he hasn't been getting ahead of the hitters.

''He's a good pitcher. He's still one of our top prospects -- this is not the end of the world for him. We don't think he's a problem. I'm glad he's on our side. I'd rather have him pitching for us and not against us. I'm not worried about Rob Mallicoat.''

The New York Mets are riding high right now and seem to have all the talent they need, but they never quit thinking about the future. The Mets have a solid outfield, but Stan Jefferson, who attended Bethune-Cookman College, could be their center fielder next year or the year after. He's playing at Class AAA Tidewater and is considered the fastest player in the organization. Jefferson, one of the Mets' three first-round draft picks in 1983, is a switch hitter and an excellent defensive outfielder with a strong arm. He hit .500 during spring training with the Mets, and Manager Dave Johnson said, ''If we were a last-place team, his chances of staying with us would have been greatly enhanced.''